Pan-Arabism and Zionism in the Middle East
Following the withdrawal of European imperialism from the Middle East, a variety of nationalistic groups sprung up demanding sovereignty for their respective nations.  Arab nationalism was present in Algeria, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.  The Arab world is defined as nations practicing the religion of Islam.  A call for Pan-Arabism was made by Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser, who had the desire to unite all the nations of the Arab world.  The Pan-Arabic movement flourished for a short period when the Arab world was contesting the presence of the Jewish state of Israel, but has since decayed as Islamic countries squabbled amongst themselves over territory and oil.  Zionism, founded by Theodor Herzl, is defined as the nationalistic movement of Jewish people and their desire to establish their own sovereign nation in the Holy Land.  After World War II, the nation of Israel, led by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, was formed making Zionism a successful nationalistic movement.  Since then, nationalism has played a role in the turbulent Middle East.  Arab nationalistic movements will be in direct conflict with each other and with Israel up to the present-day.  

The Arab-Israeli Wars
A series of wars were fought between Israel and the various surrounding states.  Arab nationalism had both a unifying and dividing influence on the Arab-Israeli Wars.  The Jewish state of Israel was viewed as a foreign influence that threatened a traditional Islamic way of life.  Arab nationalism unified to a degree because the surrounding Islamic nations saw Israel as a common enemy.  The conflict is basically a religious issue at its core.  However, each Arab nation had its own agenda concerning territory and power.  Therefore, the Arab nations would never be able to consolidate forces well enough to defeat the Israeli Army.  Areas of contention included the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights.  The first Arab-Israeli conflict pitted two nationalistic movements against each other.  The War for Independence (1948-49) was the failure of the Arab world to stop Israel from being formed as a Jewish sovereign state.  This war resulted in Jerusalem falling under the control of the Israelis and the end to a proposed plan for an independent Palestinian state to be formed.  The Suez War of 1956 resulted in Nasser's Egypt losing control of the Sinai peninsula, threatening the stability of the vastly important Suez Canal.  The Six-Day War of 1967 saw many of the surrounding Arab nations attack Israel and then proceed to lose territory (the contested areas listed above) to Israel in less than a week.  Finally, the Yom Kippur War of 1973 was an Egyptian attack across the Sinai and became a Cold War event as the Americans and Soviets became involved.  Nasser's successor, Anwar al-Sadat was the first Arab leader to recognize Israel as a nation.  For this alone, he was assassinated, effectively ending any attempts at lasting peace.  The conflict continues today.

The Palestinian Situation
Throughout this entire period of conflict between the Arab world and the Israelis has been the issue over Palestinians.  A large population of Arab people, the Palestinians were promised a sovereign nation at the end of WWII.  The plan disintegrated with the arrival of the Israelis and the beginning of the conflict.  Since then Palestinians have taken up residence in most countries in the Middle East and many have immigrated to the United States.  Even the nation of Israel has a significant population of Palestinians, which has served to exacerbate an already volatile situation.   Beginning in the 1960's, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) led by Yasir Arafat, pictured here, has led Palestinians against Israel in a nationalistic movement for a sovereign Palestine.  Terrorism has been employed against innocents on one side and drastic force have been resorted to on the other.  Peace accords have been made but then eventually fail.  The conflict still continues.

Khomeini and the Iranian Revolution
During the 1960's and into the 70's, the shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, instituted  westernization programs designed to modernize the nation of Iran.  Islamic Fundamentalists, strict followers of Islam, saw westernization and modernization as a threat to a traditional Islamic way of life.  Pressure from the Iranian Revolutionary Council, led by religious leader the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, pictured here, Pahlavi left Iran leaving Khomeini in control.  Khomeini is considered a nationalist leader because he forced change in order to do what he felt was best for the Iranian people.  Khomeini was an enemy of any foreign influence coming from the West, including the United States.  Fifty-two American hostages were held against their will from 1979 to 1981.  Islamic Fundamentalists are so religiously strict they have come in direct conflict with other Islamic nations, namely Iraq, over issues concerning oil and religious doctrine.  

Kemal Ataturk and the Westernization of Turkey
Following World War I, the Allies at the Treaty of Versailles were concerned with punishing the Central Powers with war reparations and territory losses.  A Turkish general named Mustafa Kemal Ataturk successfully resisted Allied attempts at taking territory held by the now defunct Ottoman Empire.  By 1920, the modern nation of Turkey was given sovereignty.  Ataturk, with great foresight, instituted reform policies that would westernize and modernize the new nation of Turkey.  Some traditional practices were discarded, factories and infrastructure was built, education and government were revamped, and women's rights were established.